There's an American fighter who is so wholesome he repeatedly apologized while beating down on his opponent

• MMA fighter Stephen Thompson is an absolute sweetheart.
• 'Wonderboy' is so wholesome that he routinely apologizes while he's delivering an ass-kicking.
• His opponent Kevin Holland told him he was hitting well. "I'm sorry, man," Thompson replied.

Picture a cage fighter in your head and you may be forgiven for conjuring up images of bald-headed men with lumberjack beards, a face strewn with scar tissue, and tattoos decorating their bodies.

Sure, a few may be like that but the reality is that most aren't.

Take Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, for example, a UFC fighter who is as wholesome-looking as they come.

He'll leave you bruised, bloody, and battered, but you can be damn sure it'll be the loveliest beating you'll ever receive because Wonderboy is the kind of fighter who repeatedly says sorry to you while busy kicking your ass.

His weekend opponent, Kevin Holland, found this out firsthand during their headline welterweight bout at the UFC's show Saturday in Orlando.

Thompson vs. Holland surpassed even the highest of pre-fight expectations

It was always a dream match-up for fans of striking, as it pitted Thompson's mastery of karate against Holland's kung fu fighting style.

When one fighter found themselves on the floor during the fight, they were encouraged to get back to their feet as both athletes wanted this MMA bout to be fought in stand-up exchanges as much as possible.

It was the kind of fight people will talk about for years — a Fight of the Year contender with 492 combined strikes thrown from four rounds of action.

Thompson, who won before the fifth round could start after Holland's corner withdrew their fighter, landed 178 of his 278 strikes for a 65% accuracy rate.

Almost all of his attacks were deemed by official UFC statistics to be significant, as he targeted his opponent's body and head with his variety of kicks, and straight left power punch from the southpaw stance.

He didn't have it all his way, as Holland out-landed him in the opening round, and Thompson had to fight his way back into the bout.

—UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022

"He smoked me with elbows in the first round," Thompson said on the UFC Post Show on ESPN MMA.

The fighters were seen talking to one another throughout the fight

Both athletes seemed to enjoy all of the action, though, and were seen routinely talking to one another during the contest.

"We had some conversations out there," Thompson said on ESPN MMA.

"What surprised me the most is how tough that dude is. I had smoked him with some good shots, and he did not go down. He'd smile at me."

—UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2022

"We'd talk," said Thompson. "We had some weird conversations out there. I said 'sorry' pretty much the entire time. I said, 'I'm sorry … my bad'."

Thompson later told reporters at the post-event press conference that Holland told him, "You got me good," after certain shots, and all Thompson said he could say in response was: "I'm sorry, man!"

Could Conor McGregor be next for Thompson?

Back on ESPN MMA, the presenters asked Thompson what is next for him as matchmaking him against other strikers appears to generate transcendent, TV-friendly spectacles, as opposed to putting him in with a grappler who can negate Wonderboy's best assets with ground-game focus.

"The goal is always top of the list" and securing a title shot, said Thompson. "But why not have some fun fights on the way, you know what I'm saying?

"It was a fun fight tonight. Thank you, Kevin Holland. You'll see me back in there very soon."

When ESPN asked if one of those fun fights could be against Conor McGregor, Thompson said: "100%," adding later: "Let's make it happen!"

UFC returns with a pay-per-view show that ESPN is broadcasting from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.